Tufano’s Vernon Park Tap has been on West Vernon Park Place in Chicago’s University Village neighborhood since 1930, which makes it one of the oldest Italian-American restaurants in the city. It appeared in Season 5, Episode 8 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “Just Like Yesterday,” which aired January 26, 2009. Guy Fieri found a multigenerational family operation — the DiMaggio family has been running the kitchen since the beginning — serving the kind of red-sauce Italian-American cooking that has disappeared from most of its original Chicago neighborhoods while Tufano’s kept going without changing the recipes. The lemon chicken is the dish most longtime regulars insist first-timers order. The restaurant has been covered in multiple Chicago food media guides as an essential old-school Italian experience.
Quick Facts
Restaurant: Tufano’s Vernon Park Tap
City: Chicago, Illinois
Cuisine: Italian-American
DDD Season: 5
DDD Episode: 8
Episode Title: Just Like Yesterday
Original Air Date: January 26, 2009
Address: 1073 W. Vernon Park Pl., Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: 312-733-3393
Website: https://www.facebook.com/tufanosrestaurant/
Status: Open
What to Eat at Tufano’s Vernon Park Tap
The Lemon Chicken is the signature that most regulars will not let you skip — bone-in chicken sautéed in butter, white wine, and lemon juice until the sauce is glossy and the skin is golden. The Pasta with Sunday Gravy and Meatballs are the red-sauce classics done in the 1930s Italian-American tradition. The Chicken Vesuvio and Eggplant Parmigiana round out a menu built on family recipes unchanged for decades. Find a Chicago hotel on Booking.com.
Plan Your Visit
Check the Facebook page for current hours. Tufano’s is cash only.
Address: 1073 W. Vernon Park Pl., Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: 312-733-3393
Website: https://www.facebook.com/tufanosrestaurant/
Status: Open
Triple D Essentials
Stream the Just Like Yesterday episode on Amazon. Bring the old-school Italian spirit home with Guy Fieri Cookware for stovetop lemon chicken prep.
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Tufano’s Vernon Park Tap appeared in Season 5, Episode 8 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “Just Like Yesterday,” originally aired January 26, 2009. The restaurant has been open since 1930.